The Adventures Of Team KHNS
by EmberShipsAndWrites
Summary: Follow the adventures of OC Team KHNS (Full spelling Khans, pronounced Kans) as they go through life. See through Sage's eyes as she develops quite a crush on her teammate Nicky, who seems to hate her with a passion. Or perhaps a different kind of passion! Sage narrates the story of Team KHNS with a refreshing humorous outlook! ... When she's not pissed off.
1. Ice Cream

"Great idea, team bonding. Thanks, Harmony." Kale throws an arm around her shoulder as he says this. She whispers a "You're welcome" in her classic shy voice. Team bonding, my ass. I already like Kale well enough, I don't really see the point of the entire team having to "bond" . I know this is all just a plan to get me close to my partner, Nicky. Well, that's not gonna work.

"Welcome to Freezey Palace, what would you like?" Kale orders me a hot fudge sundae, Harmony a banana split, himself a Freezey Special, and when turning to Nicky she only answers, "I don't like ice cream." She's being her usual brooding self. Great, the one time we voluntarily agree to go out in public, she becomes Ms. I-Hate-Everything. "Um," I say, turning to her slowly, "Everyone likes ice cream." "Well, I don't." This is pissing me off. "Look, just get a cone. A small one. Be happy, for once in your goddamn life. We're out fighting Grimm most of the time, if not that then we're doing endless amounts of work. The least you could do, the one we get a break, is at least act like you're having a little fun!" "Nobody asked me. Plus, I'm not gonna act, that means lie. I don't lie. I'm not having fun. Don't force me to do something I don't want to do." This bitch! Rrgh! I unsheath Della Rossa and point it at her throat, saying, "Bitch, one more word and I'll friggin' end you." In the blink of an eye, Della Rossa is at my feet and I'm being pinned by a mildly amused Nicky. "If you think that was a perfect, threatening stance, think again." Her scythe shrinks into a box again and she gets up. Wow. She has the nerve to... "Breathe, Sage," Harmony whispers to me, "Everything's fine." Her voice soothes me in the weirdest way possible. The blood boiling inside of me quickly cools. What the hell was that? She takes my hand and helps me off the floor. Kale just watched the whole situation. What kind of leader does that? Geez. "Hello, um, your order's ready?" Harmony's eyes light up with recognition. "April? Sister?" The pink-haired girl in a ponytail looks at her and grins. "Harmony! Hi! How are you?" "Good. I got into Beacon! Is Aria well?" "Yes, more or less. Girlfriends, what can you do?" They both giggle before blabbing again. Gay idiots... Psh. I'll eat my hot fudge sundae over by Kale. Certainly not by Nicky, who's creepily skulking in the corner, leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest. She just stands there... Watching... I've got to admit, sneaking a peek through her cloak hood does offer a small view of her long, flowing midnight-colored hair is strangely... beautiful. "Hey," I catch her attention, I think, "You can come sit with us, ya know. Unless you're sticking with the creepy-watchy thing, have a seat." She hesitates for a minute before stepping over to sit beside me. Uneasiness goes where she goes. A pit of dread fills my stomach for no reason. Why? Why am I so nervous? Stop it, body. She shifts in her chair, somehow uncomfortable around her own team. I elbow her and point to Harmony now talking to some grey-haired girl. "How come everyone adores Harmony, but I can't stand her?" Silence... "You can't stand anyone, Sage," She simply states. I'd punch her mouth if I wasn't so strangely attracted to her. Harmony sits beside Kale without a word, just a huge smile on her face. Doofus... "So," Kale breaks the silence, "This is nice. No Beacon for a week, awesome mission ahead of us, it's like a vacation!" "Yeah," I mutter, "Killing thousands of Grimm, almost dying, that sure sounds like a swell time. Glad to see the geniu's logic is functioning properly!" Nicky glares at me and mumbles, "You don't have to be so sarcastic all the time. The team needs less chaos." "No," I turn to her and put my hand on Della's sheath, "What this team needs is better members! Look at us! A freak who is incapable of social interaction, a leader who is horrible at actually showing any skill at his own position, a gay freaking rainbow-unicorny chick, and a person nobody EVER listens to! Ozpinhead made a mistake, alright? We're a mess-up waiting to happen. Don't tell me we need less chaos. We ARE the chaos!" With that last note, I get out of my chair and walk out, slamming the door behind me. Urgh. It makes me so pissed. You'd think they know everything. They don't. Psh... and all this over a trip to get ice cream.p


	2. Easy

Stay alert. Stay angry. Stay ready. Always ready. Always- "Boo!" I fall out of my chair and glare at Kale, saying, "Go bug someone else! I'm playing Call of Duty!" He rolls his eyes. "I didn't think you'd be good at a gun game..." "Probably all she does is ragequit..." Nicky remarks from her bed, cleaning her weapon quietly. Harmony sits beside Nicky, humming along with a song I've never heard before, as she is cut off the world via MP3 player and headphones. Nicky smirks, as if she could ever be funny even if her life depended on it. I hate this team. It's official. Ugh. Nicky winks at me, a split second action that I almost believe didn't happen... "So, Sage… Do you have a boyfriend?" She eyes me cautiously as she asks this, as if knowing the answer and silently warning me not to lie. I reply, "Yeah, no. No I don't. Why ya asking?" She shrugs and goes back to cleaning her weapon. I get up from my chair, now not caring about that stupid video game. "What, Nicky, you're not single, right?" She can't be. With her mysterious beauty, an alluring personality, and a hot body, some guy… or girl… is most likely banging her daily. In her free time, maybe, when she's not hanging out with me. "Not that it's any of your business but… No, I do not have a significant other." She pauses for a second, then adds, "You idiot, trying to get into my business…" I smirk and sit by her, near Harmony. "Trying to get into your business? You were the one with the blatant flirting, you tsundere." She scoffs and points to me incredulously. "Me? Attracted to you? Stop right there. There's no way I'd ever survive dating you." I lean in closer, the smirk spreading bigger on my face, a blush tinted on hers. "Well then, Snickers, why don't you try it and find out?" She stutters for a moment before going silent. I get up again and sit back down at my desk. That was easy.


	3. Training

"Alright team, we're going to try something different to train. Each of us will take turns carrying one another bridal style, from here to," He points off into the distance, "That tree." I scoff and say, "There? We're never gonna be able to do it. What do you think we are? Marathon runners? We'll give out on the first mile!" His smile twitches. "We'll just have to see, now won't we?" Yeah, thanks 'leader'... "First up, we carry our partners, reverse order." Oh great. Nicky steps over and mutters, "Look I don't like this either, but we have to at least tolerate one another if we're going to get through this." "Yeah, yeah," I answer and grab her into my arms. She looks at my eyes, and what I see startles me. Complete calm, and trust. As if she doesn't just think I can do it, she knows. There's not a single doubt. It imbues a confidence in me that gets my blood pumping faster, but also makes my heart pound for some reason. I glance over at Harmony in Kale's arms, easily supported by his muscular, brutish body. "Start." He calls, and I start fast-walking. Nicky grips my neck tighter. What a wuss.

I'm almost there, but my strength is fading. I heard something. Was that... Nicky? "Only a half a mile left, Keep on, Sage. If you drop me, you're dead." I'm huffing and puffing, but I manage to say, "Right, what a way to encourage me..." I gulp down my pride, but for a moment. "But, thank you for the support, Nicky." She gives me an easy smile I thought I'd never see on her face. Why she seems so emotionless most of the time, I have no idea. Okay, focus, Sage. Keep on. Only a little further.

Nicky reaches up to kiss my cheek, immediately making me almost stumble over a root poking out of the ground. I curse under my breath and glare at her. She giggles an evil giggle, remarking, "Look where you're going, idiot~" I force myself to look away from her and focus on the idea of soon carrying Harmony... Who is way cuter than Nicky could ever be. Damn it... I can't have a crush on them both, can I?

Setting Nicky on the ground, I flop beside her. "Well... that was..." I inhale sweet, precious air thankfully. "Difficult. Definitely a workout." Harmony jumps up and down and squeals, "Let's do it again!" We all laugh at her eagerness. It's time to carry someone again. "This time, I'll be carrying Nicky and Sage'll be carrying Harmony. Don't forget, tomorrow it's Nicky and Harmony's turn to carry. Let's go." Harmony hops into my arms. She's extremely light, and giggles as I am surprised by the lack of weight on her.

Harmony tucks her head into my neck and whispers, "You can do it. Please keep going." "Ah," I chuckle, "I got this. If you were Nicky, I'd be having some trouble." She giggles again, bringing a smirk to my face because I'm too tired to laugh. I'm put at ease around her. Making people's guards come down may be her semblance. I'd believe it. "Hey, um, Harm, so that was your sister back there?" She giggles and nods, then frowns slightly. "She's... not been that close to me lately. Ever since she graduated Beacon she's been distant. Something happened to her, but when I ask all she does is hang up the phone. I'm tired of trying to fix her problems. Her and my parents are the only ones I actually can't keep peace with. I don't understand it." "Well," I say, "I wasn't that close to my parents either. They sent me off to Beacon believing that my fire could be controlled and tempered to fight Grimm." Harmony adds with another giggle, "There's no controlling a dragon!" I huff a laugh, shaking my head at her teasing. A warm bubbly feeling fills me at the thought of spending more time with her. I've never... had a real friend before. Everyone is always put off by my extremely volatile temper. But, she's different. Very different...

I lean against a tree. Kale looks at me and chuckles, saying, "You went pretty slow, what kept you?" I shrug. "Dunno, I guess I just... was conserving my energy." I grin at Harmony, sharing our happiness at creating a bond through chatting casually while I carry her to a tree. What a day. Honestly? I think training went well.


	4. Insomnia

I sit up in bed. Ugh. I just woke up from the best dream... Wait, why is the light on the balcony on? I get up in my orange pajamas and slide the door open, seeing Nicky curled up in a chair singing softly to herself. I strain my ears to hear the lyrics, immediately confirming my my suspicions that it's the song she was writing earlier, after we got done training. I shut the door behind me, taking care not to make too much noise, as not to alert Nicky to my presence. "I'm so hurt, so dead and so alone, no one can ever know..." I hear a faint sobbing noise, and it hurts something in my heart. "Why can't I be like the others? Why don't they see, that I'm not like them, but I'm still me?" I step up behind the chair and watch as she places her face into the palms of her hands and puts her head between her legs. She seems so delicate, so fragile... But so dangerous. I'm not sure whether I should go to her and help her, or should I maybe go away, like everyone has ever done to me in my life? No. This is different. She's crying, and I could help her. I place my hand on her shoulder as lightly and gently as I can, and she jerks away from my touch. "What are you DOING?!" She scream-whispers, so the rest of the team doesn't wake up. "I... I just... wanted to help you." Her eyes are grey-ish, instead of red like regular people's eyes get when they cry.

"I don't need your FREAKING help! All I want is to be left alone! Can you do that? Can you actually physically force yourself away from me? Or is that impossible for the stupid hothead you are? Are you too perfect to leave me be? Or do you just want more material to use to MAKE FUN OF ME?!" I sigh and lower my voice more. "No. Please stop, you're going to wake the others up. I'm not making fun of you." I go to hold her hand to comfort her, but stop as I see something that makes my heart skip a beat. Instead of a fully skinned hand, it's half-skeletal... How? What? "No! Don't look at it!" She covers it with her sleeve again and sheds a few more tears. I take her hand again, softer than I've ever done anything in my life. "Hey. I don't care what you are, or what this is. I'm here for you. Please don't think you're a freak. To me, you're my partner, and my friend. We don't always get along," She rolls her eyes but doesn't interrupt, "But together we make the best partners there ever were! So... please... don't hide from me." She leans against the balcony's railing and lets out a shaky whimper, whispering, "Who are you to try and help me? You don't care, nobody ever does!" "No," I walk over and stand next to her, "I do care. Don't do this. I'm your partner, and we have to trust each other with everything. So, tell me, how did you get like this?" She takes a deep breath, realizing I'm sincere in my concern. "Fine. It's a long story."

"Alright, well... let's see. You should know about my father first. He's... well maybe you know the fictional creature called Grim Reaper? Well, in reality, there is a race of skeletal people named Reapers who harvest people's souls when it's their time. Father could disguise himself to look humanly, and so snuck into Beacon to see if any Hunters or Huntresses were ready to leave this world. Eventually, he encountered my mother, a beautiful huntress, and he fell in love. Much more time later, Mother gave birth to me. However, I came out half-Reaper, so my parents came a close eye on me. When I was five, there was a horrible thunderstorm. The electricity went out. They lit so many candles so they could watch me... But... Well... um... u-um... They forgot to keep an eye on the candles, they were so fo-focused on me... There was a horrible fire... Mom tossed me out the window, into a flower bush, and I was the only one who got out alive. They died, and my aunt and uncle came by the pick me up. My aunt and uncle were terrible people. They raised me up until I was nine, and then I got so fed up with the abuse and mistreatment I ran away. I hit many hard times, and grew up on the streets. I just... I miss my parents sometimes and... nobody understood at any of the elementary schools or middle schools my condition, so I started wearing my mother's cloak... It's all I have left of her. That, and my father's scythe... So there. That's my sad, miserable life story. Going to make fun of me now?"

I just stand there, staring at her, for a few seconds. She's gone through so much... No wonder she has to keep herself hidden and emotionless. She must have been bullied so much... I shake my head and reply, "No, Nicky, I'm sorry for... well how I acted. I will never make fun of you ever again." The door opens and a half-asleep Harmony calls out, "Hello, please, go to sleep, both of you... You're very loud..." She stumbles back in the dorm room and Nicky and I chuckle. "You go on in, I'll go back to bed in a sec." Nicky lets out a relieved breath. "Being out here makes me more sleepy." I look at the amazing full moon, yellow-ish and surrounded by clouds. "Sleeping problems?" I ask. She shrugs and answers, "Well, in this case, insomnia kind of helped me, right?" We both exchange a smile.


	5. Classes Pt 1

Come on, Team KHNS, up up up! We're going to be late!" I groan and press my pillow over my head, trying to muffle his insanely loud noisy voice. "Mmfff Nicky hurt him please..." I mumble. She slinks out of bed and replies, "Gladly..." He puts his hands up to shield his face and says quickly, "Hey, hey, alright, I'll back off. Just hurry up. We have to leave so-" A loud bell sounds out, cutting him off and shooting panic through all of us. Uh oh.

Soon we're up and scrambling to get ready, Harmony and I changing in the dorm with Kale looking away so we can hurry, skipping a shower (sadly), and running off to class. "Whoa, whoa," I stop suddenly, realizing something, "What class do we have first?" We all go blank and wonder for a moment, then Harmony points to the ceiling in 'Ah-ha' moment and declares, "Mrs. Huff, Grimm studies!" We start speeding along again until we all stop to spin around once, realizing we are totally lost. I facepalm and mutter, "Oh, great..."

Bursting into class, Mrs. Huff says, "Oh, yes, so nice of you to join us, you four. Please take a seat in the front row." She whacks a mean-looking stick down on her desk and says, "Now, class, pay attention! This is the only time I'm going to say this: I do not tolerate misbehavior in this classroom. You step through those doors, your noise ceases. I expect you to remember that." Bla, bla, bla. I tone her out as she rambles on about her rules and how this classroom is like her kingdom, blab blab blab, yawn-worthy lecture... Dear God, please remove me from the Earth until this day is over... Eesh... "Now, take out your scrolls and open your Grimm Studies section. We will be observing the Nevermore, a terrifying and incredible Grimm we all must research completely, as this may save your life. Bla bla bla, bla bla." I'm being tortured here... Heeelppppp! I look over at Nicky. She's nodding off just like I am. Harmony has her usual blinding smile on her face, while Kale is taking notes. How are those two SURVIVING?! I sketch Nicky as she falls asleep. I got nothing better to do...

I poke Nicky as the bell rings, letting us out of Grimm studies. She wakes up, and has an embarrassing line of drool hanging off her chin. I laugh and point to it, saying, "Dreaming about food or is that a habit?" She glances down at it and then rolls her eyes, brushing it away. "Oh, stop. This class may be informative, but the way Mrs. Huff teaches is in no way acceptable..." Her eyelids droop as she almost reclaims her much-needed slumber. I flick her forehead. "Wake UP! The whole class is gone, and it's Study Hall next! We've only got five minutes to get to the library, and you _know_ how Officer Reed can get when he catches people in the hallways during class time." She reluctantly grabs her scroll and walks beside me towards the library. Fantastic, boring, mind-numbing textbooks and endless amounts of work... Yay, Beacon. Became a huntress today! Ugh...

During study hall, Nicky notices a page slipped out of my sketchbook. Whatever, I mean, it doesn't matter what she looks at. Boredom leads to drawing, everyone knows that, right? "Sage!" Nicky hisses in a whisper, "Why did you draw me?!" I glance over sluggishly, already wishing I had gone to sleep like Nicky did. "I got bored. I know it's a bad sketch, but come _on_ it's not the end of the world." She opens her mouth then closes it again, repeating this motion until she simply turns away to hunch over her studies again. Soon, though, I can feel her stare piercing into me. She grabs the sketch and examines it. I drew her in the way I actually see her, beautifully alluring. I stay quiet, not wanting any more trouble than I've already had from her. Her gaze softens as she puts her hand against the sketch for a long moment. Uhh… Did I mess up something? Like, her nose is hard to draw, I know... but… c'mon, cut me some slack.

Harmony and Kale are studying together. Is it just me, or are they getting a little TOO close? Maybe it's my imagination... "Sage, don't get jealous..." Did Nicky just seriously suggest I want to be either one of those two for even a second?! "Excuse me?" I warn her through my voice. The room gets deathly cold all of a sudden. "Yes, excuse you. You keep watching Kale and Harmony, you haven't even finished the seventh chapter out of fifteen we have to read!" "Alright," I murmur, though I can feel my anger slowly rising to the surface, "So I'm a bit confused about their proximity to one another. But that doesn't mean I'm jealous. You're just assuming things you have no idea about." She closes her textbook and turns to me fully. "Assuming? Yes. Despite what you may think, I can tell when someone is a bit weirded out by seeing their other two teammates connecting so easily. As long as they're happy, you should be happy _for_ them. But if you want to continue and disapprove of a potential relationship between them, I'm not gonna tell you what you can and cannot do." I don't try to get a rise out of her, but I sure as Hell want to... if only I was dumb enough to cross her...


	6. Classes Pt 2

"Oh, Sage, would you hurry the _frack_ up? We are totally, completely late for yet _another_ class! What is the matter with you? We may not enjoy classes but can we please at least _try_ to be punctual?" I wave off the irritated Nicky and keep walking, examining the empty classrooms dotting the hallway. What they were used for, I have no idea. I peer into one of them, seeing a lone cup of coffee sitting on a desk, telling a story of probably a very energetic teacher. I note that there are coffee mugs spread all throughout the classroom, with stray boxes here and there containing more. Someone had a coffee fetish, I see... "Saaage~" Nicky whines, grabbing my arm and dragging me along faster. "At this rate, we'll miss the class entirely!" I let her drag me, because that empty classroom... It... I don't know. Something about it. It seemed... lonely. Like it had a tale to tell, if only it was a few years earlier, and the teacher hadn't retired. It's depressing. It's almost like it's saying that everything comes to an end, sooner or later, as if warning us of our own end... Gah, Sage, pay attention...

"Ah, Team KHNS, I hear you've got QUITE THE REPUTATION to arrive late for your CLASSES. SIT DOWN!" The whole classroom jumps at the Professor's sudden yelling. Sheesh, I'm gonna be deaf before the year's out... "As you can see, this is BATTLE STRATEGIES CLASS! Please get out your scrolls to the APPROPRIATE CLASS SECTION! Now, we'll be studying HOW PARTNERS SHOULD BE completely synced together, despite personal, romantic, or SOCIAL LIFE! PAY ATTENTION! For those of us who have JUST ARRIVED IN THE room, my name is MR. BALLARD!" AGH! MY EARS! MY FUCKING EARS! What is this guy's problem?! I'm gonna die from bleeding out of my ears. My brain is going to escape with the blood, also. Nicky keeps almost falling asleep, but jerking awake every time Mr. Ballard screams. Holy crap, what the hell... Welcome to Beacon, home of the insane teachers! Become a huntress today!

I plop down next to Harmony, who's chatting away with Kale and nibbling at her food in tiny amounts. Nicky is further along down the table, eating alone and pulling her hood closer over her head. It's sad how much effort she puts into hiding from others. I lift up my tray and slide down until I'm beside Nicky. "Hey, Snickers, why are you sitting here all alone?" She only rolls her eyes at me. That's become a regular thing for her, hasn't it? I poke her arm and say, "C'mon, speak. I'm your partner, damn it, we kind of have to talk to each other. Aren't you the one who answered Mr. Ballard's question in class today? What was it you said? 'Teammates should have open communication despite their differences'? Or were you lying?" She glares at me but still stays quiet. "That's funny, Nicky, I thought you said you didn't lie." I offer a teasing smile, but she only mumbles, "I'm going to the library to study. See you in Mr. Olson's class." She gets up and stomps off, the temperature of the room dropping down to like fifty all of a sudden. What the...?

I'm the first one in Sparring Class. It's eerily empty, except for the long-blond haired man with a bushy beard, who calls out "Hello! Sage Crescend, I've heard of your team all day! I figured you'd be late, but you're not. Come sit beside me! The others won't be here for quite some time! I'm quite surprised you found this class, it's very well hidden on the campus!" I shuffle my feet, unexpected nervousness brewing inside me. "Yeah... I'm just... I was wondering around... My partner stormed off and I forgot where the library was." "Ah," He strokes his beard thoughtfully, with kind eyes. "Partner problems? Many teams have had of those. In fact, I'm sure you've heard of the famous Team RWBY?" "Yeah," I answer easily, "They have tons of awesome adventures, even with being married and having kids and stuff. Why?" He chuckles. "Why, I was a custodian here at the time, but as I swept past their dorm room, there weren't many times I didn't hear arguing and fighting coming from their room." My eyes widen. "Team RWBY?! Fighting? No. My team is a sorry bunch of idiots, but Team RWBY is amazing!" He winks and says, "Yes, they're quite skilled, but back in their time at Beacon, they were terribly dysfunctional. In fact, more so than your own team, I'll bet." Wow. That's... insane. Team RWBY gets along so well... them bickering all the time is hard to imagine. He pats my knee and advises, "This partner of yours. Nicky Flere, was it? She probably hasn't gotten used to being in a team yet. Not many adapt easily to the idea of relying on three other people when in times of trouble, and learning to bond with them enough where trust is what connects you. Give her time. Also, give _yourself_ time. You're at fault as much as she is for her running off. Let her do her own thing, and she'll warm up to you eventually. Now, get started on your studies until the rest of the students show up."


	7. Stay Strong

p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5999999999999999; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 18pt;"span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial; color: #555555; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I wish I knew what happened to me in class yesterday. When I was called up to spar Nicky, everything went black. I felt so cold... So alone... So scared... Everything was pure, thick black darkness. I've never felt so cold in my life. I hated it. It was being in Antarctica.. Or Hell. Or a nightmare. The last thing I saw before passing out was Nicky scowling face. It almost seemed like she was in as much pain as I was. Then she collapsed next to me... Next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed surrounded by Team ARIL and my Team./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5999999999999999; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 18pt;"span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial; color: #555555; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Sage, do you feel okay? Is there anything you need? Food? Water? Ice chips?" Remembering the extreme cold I experienced, I glare at Harmony still frantically worrying about me. "Agh, gosh, Harm," I reassure, "I'm fine, honestly. Where's Nicky?" They all bite their lips and exchange glances. Kale answers, "Yeah, she disappeared out of the hospital... We were going to search for her after you got better..." I leap out of bed in eagerness. Or, at least, I would've, if not for the searing pain on my back. I sit up slowly and groan. "Hey, hey, take it easy," Allen, the big buff sensitive one says. Ivy, a girl nearby dressed in a leafy gowny-thing says, "Your aura is off. There's... Darkness inside it. I can feel it." Thanks for that, weirdo. I needed an 'aura' evaluation, yeah. I shake my head. "What the hell does that mean?!" Allen puts a hand to my shoulder to caution me. Ivy replies, "It means, either a Grimm fatally wounded you or you came into contact with something... someONE that is already pure darkness. Or at least becoming it. Perhaps your teammate Nicky had something to do with this?" "Frick off! She may be cold at times but she's not pure darkness!" Defending her came natural. That's.. Strange, but good. I've become fond of my skeleton-like friend. If she's hurt, something that touched her is going to get very dead. I sit up more, in pain but recovering. "Eesh... We gotta get out there and find Nicky.. She may be injured. Eerugh!" I grasp my side and fall back onto the bed. "Relax," Allen says, "You're not going anywhere. You're hurt. We'll look for Nicky, and Harmony will stay here to keep an eye on you okay?" I nod weakly and gasp at more pain invading my body. Nicky, wherever you are, stay strong./span/p 


	8. Nightmare

Loneliness. Despair. Darkness. I see a blurry view of Nicky running, her cloak billowing behind her and tears running down her face. Nicky... Nicky! I try to call out, but no sound escapes mouth. Nicky stops to look around, mumbling to herself, "Of all the times... Of all the people... Why now... Why her..." What's going on? Why can't she hear me? She passes by some dirty, run-down buildings. I recognize them immediately. The bad side of the city... It's the most dangerous place, the people there almost as souless as Grimm. I know Nicky can take care of herself... But it still worries me beyond what it should. Nicky glances around, hiccuping and wiping her eyes. "Gotta find Grey... Stay away from people..." She repeats those two sentences to herself quietly over and over again until her breathing is back to normal. She doesn't see the ragged man following her around every corner. He brings out a knife and slinks closer with a sickening grin on his face. I reach out to Nicky, my heart pounding, my lungs seizing... My throat tightens as the man lifts up the knife... But when I look down at my hand, Nicky is momentarily forgotten. It's completely black, moving and shifting. I cry out, terrified of what's happening to me as the extreme cold, and black darkness, creeps up my body slowly. No... What is happening to me?! What's going on... What is... I snap back to looking at Nicky, who broke the man's arm, but didn't stop there. She has her hands clutching around his throat, squeezing so tight... She's killing him.. At the last second, I see the cloudiness from her eyes fade away. She pulls back and grasps her hands together, as if afraid of herself. She takes off at a sprint in the direction she was headed, and doesn't stop until she comes upon an abandoned grocery store beside a motel. She knocks on the door six times in a rhythm that I don't recognize. When the little bell on the door rings as she opens it, she winces at the thundering sound. She steps inside cautiously, rubbing her arms and shivering feverishly. I can't recall ever seeing Nicky shiver before... "Hello?" She calls out to the dusty, dark place. "Grey? Harabi? Damn it... It's me! Nicky!" Silence. She rubs her arms more and walks over to a small heater in the corner, switching it on. She whispers to herself, "Just my luck, they're not here. Just my fracking luck." With a heavy sigh, she sits on a splintered storage crate. She snaps her head to the side, freezing at the sight of shadows crawling along the walls. She seems otherwise unphased by this peculiar and creepy activity, waiting patiently for, whatever that is, to stop. The shadows form two figures. "Shit," Nicky says quietly, "That still startles me even now. Grey, I need your help." The figures come into the moonlight and a raspy voice answers, "MY help? Oh whatever would you need MY help for, love?" She grits her teeth together, irritation forming on her features as she holds herself back from attacking. A second, feminine voice says, "Would you perhaps need a jar of pickles opened? Oh! Let me guess! Do you need to woo a boy, or possibly even girl so they can become puddy for your manipulation?" She shakes her head repeatedly. "I don't need these riddles, of whatever you call them, right now. I need a cure." Grey, as I think his name is, cuts her off with a scoff. "I do hope this isn't a uh... Sexual disease. If so, that'd be quite, quite uncomfortable for us all, don't you think?" Nicky's face goes crimson as she stomps her foot on frustration. "No! No. For once, can you not automatically assume I come to you with... Lewd problems?!" Silence. "Sorry for snapping at you. I didn't mean it." She hangs her head for a moment, very much like a child would after being scolded by their parents. If did have a very good resemblance. "Alnickas, you are like a daughter to us. Don't be ashamed for speaking your mind. You're strong. You need to keep that strength not just for outward appearance, but for your heart as well. Now, what is it you need?" She runs a hand through her hair and doesn't respond until a minute later. "It's.. About my parents... You already know the story, and you know all about the Reaper's Curse." Harabi speaks up, this time. "Yes, dear, the Reaper's Curse. You warned us about it not one month after you discovered this area. Explain it again, just to clarify." She groans reluctantly but explains it anyways. "When a Reaper gets to be a certain age, they receive something known as the Reaper's Curse, which usually is supposed to unlock their full potential, but also make it so they can't reproduce. My father being Reaper and my mom being human, I guess the Curse is going haywire. It wounded my friend and it's taking control of me." Grey and Harabi rub her back comfortingly as tears spring to her eyes again. Harabi reassures, "We know of a cure. But... It's painful, and I'm not sure you want to go through with it." Nicky stands up, hope radiating from her body. "No, no, anything! Just help me!" Grey softens his words as he tells her, "You have to take the soul of one of your loved ones. It's the only way." She clenches her jaw and grinds her teeth a bit before nodding. "I see. I know just the person. Thank you, Grey. Harabi." She turns and walks out of the store, pulling her cloak closer around her once again. The loneliest sight ever...

And then I'm awake, staring at the hospital ceiling. This nightmare... Just got real.


End file.
